NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – A New Braunfels woman was sentenced to over two years in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.25 million in restitution for wire fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Telise Marie Armke, 56, was arrested in March 2023 and charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
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She later pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was ordered to pay the victims $1,251,206 in total, in addition to the 30-month prison sentence, DOJ said.
The Department of Justice said that Armke befriended an older couple and falsely claimed she would receive money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because her home was in a flood zone.
Armke convinced the couple to lend her funds to pay property taxes, liens, insurance premiums, several filing fees, attorney’s fees and non-descript contract fees.
Armke also told the couple that she would eventually pay them back once FEMA released the money to her. However, according to the Department of Justice, she spent most of the couple’s money at gas station casinos in and around New Braunfels.
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